Garment



Dec. 1, 1942. P. FRIEDMAN 2,303,536

GARMENT Filed June 15, 1940 IN VENTOR. PAULVN F' R/fiZJMA N ArTORNEKPatented Dec. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT PaulynFriedman, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 13, 1940,'Serial No. 340,342

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparel, and more particularly to ladies bodygarments.

An object of my invention is a provision of a combination outer garmentfor ladies wear in the form of a coat, preferably of the type generallyknown in the trade as a street coat in that it is not of the type ofgarment generally regarded as being intended for intimate or informalwear in ones own home, and a dress portion releasably attached theretoin a manner which avoids the necessity of providing a back for thebodice or waist portion of the dress.

Another object is to provide a combination coat and dress of thecharacter described wherein any one of a plurality of dress portions canbe worn with the coat; and inasmuch as the design, according to whichthe dress portion of the garment is formed, is a very simple andaccordingly inexpensive construction, this feature facilitates theacquisition of a wardrobe possessed of a large amount of variety at lowcost.

A further object is the provision of a combination coat and dress ofgeneral character indicated, the waist measurement of which is subjectto wide variation, thus providing a garment of wide adaptabilityinasmuch as each garment can be worn by persons of various waistmeasurement. This feature causes the garment to lend itself withparticular adaptability for use as a maternity gown, inasmuch as thewaist measurement of the garment can be expanded with the utmostfacility as the body girth increases.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a combination garmentof this general character which will be relatively simple andinexpensive in construction, highly attractive in design, andsusceptible to construction in a wide variety of patterns so as toenlarge its general field of adaptability, and which will be generallysuperior in eificiency and serviceability.

The invention possesses other objects and advantageous features, formsof which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of my invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It isto be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by thesaid drawing and description as I may ado-pt variations of the preferredform within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combination of the dress element isshown released from the coat, the better to reveal the manner of theirassembly.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but in rear elevation, thecoating being drawnback to reveal the manner of joining the overlappingflaps of the skirt to fit the waist.

Figure 3 is a View in plan of a dress portion which is the same inprinciple as that of Figures 1 and 2, but the specific design of whichissufiiciently different to lend a variety to the ward robe.

In terms of broad inclusion, the garment of the present inventioncomprises a combination coat and dress, the latter, however, instead ofbeing a combination garment susceptible to being worn without the coat,contains only a bodice front above the waist, reliance being placed uponthe coat tocover the back and sides not protected by the dress portion.Means are provided for releasably attaching the top of the bodice front,i. e., the ends of those portions which extend over the shoulders, tothe inside of the shoulders of the coat. The skirt portion of thegarment is provided in the form of laterally extending flaps adapted toencircle the hips and legs of the wearer and to be fastened together inthe rear, preferably in such amanner as to be expansible and therebyproviding a large number of different waist sizes for each garment,which feature is particularly valuable when the invention is embodied asa maternity dress. However, inasmuch as the dress portionis of verysimple construction and contains a minimum of material, its cost isrelatively low, a feature which is of importance for the reason that itmakes it feasible for a person owning one of the coats to provideherself with a variety of dress portions and thereby add variety to herwardrobe at low cost.

More specificially described, the garment of the present inventioncomprises a coat portion 6, and a dress portion 1. Preferably the coat 6is of the type known in the trade as a street coat inasmuch as it isintended for wear in public; and whereas the coat is adaptable forconstruction according to a large variety of different designs andpatterns, it is preferred that the coat 6 be of substantially kneelength or at least extend to a material distance below the hips of thewearer.

The present invention contemplates the provision of several of the dressportions 1, for each coat 6. This is a commercially feasible propositionfor the reason that the dress portions 1 are relatively inexpensive ascompared not only with the coat 6, but as compared with dresses ofconventional design for the reason that the dress portion 1 of thepresent invention is so designed that it contains considerably lessmaterial than the conventional dress. A factor which contributes towardsthis end is that instead of being formed with a complete bodice, orwaist portion, the dress portion 1 of the present invention is providedwith only a bodice front 8, wide enough to cover the bosom and extenddownwards therefrom to the waistline, no back and sides bein provided. Asuitable opening is provided for the neck by forming a notch 9 of anydesired shape in the upper edge ll of the bodice front, which is adaptedto be supported in wearing position through the expediency of preferablya plurality of fastening devices such as conventional snap fasteners l2secured along the upper edge of each shoulder covering portion 1 3 andadapted to cooperate with complementary fasteners l4, secured to thecoat 6 inside the shoulders l6 thereof; or speaking more precisely,extending in a row from the shoulder toward the neck. The width of thebodice front 8 "is such that it is capable of covering the front of thewearers :body, reliance being placed, however, upon-the coatto concealthe lateral edges I! and thereby concealing the fact that the bodice 8does not completely encircle the upper 'body.

'I 'heskirt portion 2.! of thedress is provided by flaps 22 extendinglaterally'fromeach side of the front, fromthe waist linedown. Preferablythese flaps 22 are considerably longer (measured horizontally) thannecessary to encircle the wearers waist,'the purpose being to enable theflaps 22 to overlap each otherzmaterially in the'back, as best-shown inFigure 2. Consequently it is expedient to provide a plurality offasteners 23 spaced at equal intervals along the upper'edge :of eachflap 22, the fasteners 23 of one flap being complementary to thoseof theother, sothat the twoflaps can be releasably fastened together inoverlapping relationship in any one of a large variety of waistmeasurements. Whereas this feature adaptseach garment for wear by womenof "different girth, its principal function is to adapt the garment forwear as a maternity gown.

Various expedients can be resorted to toalter the appearanceof theseveral different dress portions :1 without departing from thegeneralprinciple according to which it is constructed; for example, pleating 26may be added adjacent the upper edge'of the bodice front 8, and a belt21 maybe simulated by stitching, or if desired, an

actual belt may be provided for the dress portion 2|. Furthermore,pleating 28 may be provided extending downwards from the belt 21,Obviously various other details of construction can be resorted to, tosay nothing of the wide variety of clothpatterns which may beemployed tolend variety to .a wardrobe consisting only of one of thecoats 6andseveral of the dress portions 1.

The coat Ii also may be provided with a belt .31; and the belt 3|cooperates with particular effectiveness with the combination coat anddress of the present invention, if instead of extending all the wayaround the wearers waist, externally of the coat, only that portion ofthe belt which extends across the person's back be exposed on theoutside of the coat. This is accomplished by providing openings 32 inthe sides of the coat through which the ends 33 of the belt pass,enabling them to be tied or otherwise inter-engaged in front of thewearer and inside the coat. This manner of wearing the belt 3| assuresthat the front of the coat will remain in position so that the lapelsand side panels of the coat conceal side edges l8 of the bodice front 8,even though the front of the coat be permitted to remain unfastened.

Iclaim:

1. In a combination garment of the character described, a dress portioncomprising a bodice front of a width to cover the bosom and extendingupwards far enough to dispose its upper edge substantially at theuppermost line of the shoulders, said upper edge of said bodice frontsubstantially corresponding in length to the width of the wearersshoulders and being medially notched to provide a neck opening, and askirt portion, the front of said skirt portion comprising acontinuationof said bodice front and the back and sides of said skirt portioncomprising flaps extending laterally from said skirt front to disposethe upper edges of said flaps in waist-encircling relation andoverlapping in the rear in any of several optional waist sizes, meansfor releasably attaching said overlapping flaps together in selectedwaist size, and releasable attaching-means disposed throughout thelength of said upper edge; and a coat portion over said dress portionand comprising shoulders concealing said upper edge of said bodice frontand fastening means inside said shoulders and complementary to andco-operative with those of said bodice front whereby said skirt portionis supported from the shoulders of said coat throughout the entire widthof said bodice front.

2. In a combination garment of the character described, a dress portioncomprising a bodice front of a width to cover the bosom and extendinupward far enough to dispose its upper edge substantially at theuppermost line of the shoul- .ders, said upper edge of said bodice frontsubstantially corresponding in length to the width of the wearersshoulders and being medially notched to provide a neck opening,releasable attaching means disposed at spaced intervals throughout thelength of said upper edge for supporting said bodice front from theinside of the shoulders of a coat worn over said dress portion,

and a skirt portion, the front of said skirt portion comprising acontinuation of said bodice front and the back and sides of said skirtportion comprising flaps extending laterally from said skirt front todispose the upper edges of said flaps in waist-encircling relation andoverlapping in the rear in any of several optional waist sizes.

PAULYN FRIEDMAN.

